


A Hard No

by junko



Series: Chasing Demons [43]
Category: Bleach
Genre: M/M, Original Character(s)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-02-14
Updated: 2013-02-14
Packaged: 2017-11-29 07:28:59
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,267
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/684393
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/junko/pseuds/junko
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Renji and Byakuya continue their "date" at the seminar.  Though things don't go exactly as planned, they get closer to learning important things about each other. (Part two of "The Seminar")</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Hard No

Byakuya came out of the lecture looking… Renji wasn’t sure—overwhelmed, maybe? Renji set down the curry drink he’d been sipping and went over to check in. “You okay?”

But Byakuya didn’t have time to answer with more than a nod before the hostess asked everyone to pair up. They were told that it didn’t matter who they picked. This would be practice negotiation and, while it would be ideal to have dom/sub, it really wasn’t necessary. What was important was talking through likes and dislikes and hard and soft nos. They were to use the submissive’s questionnaire as a starting point.

 _This really was like a class_, Renji thought as he found a somewhat secluded spot for himself and Byakuya. “So how was your thing?” Renji asked as he set up two folding chairs in a corner by a ‘ball gags’ and hoods display.

“It was… informative. However, I feel as though I may be missing a lot not being very familiar with the jargon.”

“Tell me about it,” Renji said, sitting down and handing over his questionnaire, he pointed out, “I checked the ‘clueless’ box nine out ten times.”

Byakuya started glancing through the three page form and Renji settled back in the chair. It was a weirdly familiar scene. Renji felt like he should start giving updates on division business. But, instead, he leaned back into the metal chair. The leather of his jacket creaked and the buckles jangled. Seeing Byakuya sitting there so primly in his button-down silk shirt and expensively cut jacket and slacks, Renji couldn’t resist reaching out with the toe of his boot to slide along the back of Byakuya’s calf.

Smoke gray eyes looked up admonishingly and then went back to the form.

If Byakuya thought that a glare would discourage Renji, he was wrong. Especially as the look was very clearly laced with, ‘don’t distract me.’ With a wicked smile on his lips, Renji’s toe trailed a little higher and then moved up and down slowly and seductively.

“He’s a willful one, isn’t he?”

Renji looked up to see the seminar’s host. She stood next Byakuya’s chair and smiled down at him. Byakuya kept his eyes on the questionnaire, and said dryly, “My words exactly.”

She glanced over at Renji, who’d quickly pulled his foot back. To Byakuya she purred, “May I recommend obedience training?”

Renji found himself still thinking in terms of the questionnaire: ‘?+’ for ‘Sounds scary, but I might like to explore it.’

“You may,” Byakuya gave her a cursory glance, “but Renji isn’t overly fond of anything that’s reminiscent of dogs.”

“So you’ve discussed something already?” she smiled, though Renji thought the edges seemed a little forced. “From a distance, it looked like nothing but silence over here.”

In Byakuya’s stony expression, Renji could see an instant flash of annoyance. The biggest problem with a class? Byakuya clearly didn’t like being schooled. If nothing else, Renji was sure that her standing over him was driving Mr. Clan Head crazy, so Renji said, “Aw, give us a minute, will you? Taicho likes to review the whole document before putting his mark on it. Trust me; I’m used to waiting for him.”

“So you really do call him ‘captain’? I’m so used to things like ‘master’ and ‘lord’ that I thought it sounded kind of dorky at first, but for some reason when you say it, it works.” She smiled genuinely at Renji. “Have you been together long?”

“I guess not really. Going on three months,” Renji said with a little shrug. But he gave Byakuya a little smile, “But I’ve been after him for long, long time.”

The hostess seemed to find that charming too, and she nodded like she approved. “I’ve never seen either of you around. Are you new to the lifestyle?”

She kept trying to include Byakuya in the conversation with a glance as she talked, but he pointedly ignored her and continued to look at the forms.

Renji pulled the hair from his face, “Yeah, completely. I didn’t know half the stuff on that list. I feel like such a dope.”

“There’s no need to feel foolish, Renji. It only means there’s more for us to explore,” Byakuya said reassuringly.

“Exactly!” The hostesses said with a clap of her hands. “And the best way to get started is to talk about it.” She leaned in close to look over Byakuya’s shoulder. “It looks like Renji gave you a lot of notes to work with, that’s good. But communication is critical. When I come back I wanted to see you two actually _speaking_ to each other, or I’ll be forced to facilitate!” She drew out the last word in a sing-song voice. With a pointed glance at Byakuya, she added with false cheeriness, “And I know you wouldn’t want that, Taicho!”

Renji sensed Byakuya suppressed shudder, so Renji gave her a little wave good-bye, “We got this. Thanks.”

Once she’d moved off to harass another couple, Renji leaned in and whispered, “Oi, you want to bail? We could slip out the back.”

Byakuya looked both surprised and tempted by the offer. “But, Renji, we’ve come all this way--? Don’t you want to discuss these things?”

“I do, but we don’t have stay here to do it,” Renji raised his hand to indicate the harsh fluorescent lights, the uncomfortable metal chairs, the price stickers, and all the paraphernalia and merchandise. “We could go somewhere more private and talk over a little wine.”

The relief that flooded Byakuya’s face was palatable. “My god, you know me so well.”

#

Renji acted as sentry as Byakuya slid behind the shelving units toward the back room. Keeping a watchful eye out for the hostess, Renji nearly choked when the sleigh bells over the front door chimed and in walked a familiar face. It was impossible not to recognize that purple-black hair and cocky swagger.

Lady Yoruichi! Holy crap! And what the fuck was she wearing, a shiny leather cat suit? Oh my god, she looked so… amazingly hot. And, who was the straw-blond haired man slinking in behind her?—Could that be the infamous former captain Urahara? And was he really attached to her with a chain and a collar?

Quickly, Renji ducked back down. He checked on Byakuya’s progress. Thankfully, it looked as though the captain had already made his escape. Byakuya would not be happy to see his old childhood friend here. Especially not here.

Curiosity getting the better of him, Renji couldn’t quite resist another peek. That outfit of Yoruichi’s was going to haunt his fantasies forever, especially the way the material clung to every curve of her powerful body. She showed off just enough of that nut-brown skin to send Renji’s hindbrain into overdrive as he started imagining running his hands all over it. Plus, the hostess greeted Yoruichi like they were old friends…or, given the adoring expression on the other woman’s face, lovers. The idea of two hot women together made Renji’s mind stutter to a complete open-mouthed stand still. Though his eyes were glued to Yoruichi, Renji suddenly felt the sensation of having been spotted. He looked over to see the clever gaze of Yoruichi’s blond companion honing in on him, like a hawk.

Fuck. Renji crouched back down and decided to risk a short flash step. In a moment, he was at the door to the back room. He slid through quickly. He didn’t risk a look behind him, but he knew they’d seen him, as he’d felt the hair on the back of his neck rise. 

“Let’s go,” Renji told Byakuya as soon as he was in the rain-drenched alley. 

“Is something wrong?”

Renji just took Byakuya’s hand and led him toward the street where they could hail a cab. “No,” he lied, “I’m just really anxious to get you alone.”

#

Byakuya surprised Renji by chatting with the taxi driver about various restaurant choices. Byakuya explained, “I’m craving a good, authentic curry.”

“I know just the place,” the cabbie assured them.

‘Just the place’ turned out to be a kind of funky restaurant called ‘Bombay Bazaar.’ Renji was entirely uncertain about the basement location and the single, bare bulb hanging over the entrance. He was similarly put off by the sign in a mysterious language above the door. Byakuya, however, boldly strode in. 

“Are you sure about this?” Renji asked, following Byakuya past a hanging bird’s nest sculpture and down a flight of stairs into a brightly lit open room. It was a very modern space full of an assortment of Western style tables and chairs that seemed to be made entirely out of recyclable material. 

“It may look odd, but it smells right,” Byakuya said with a little smile. “Surely, you of all people can understand that.”

If Renji had any sense of spice, he might. But it didn’t smell _wrong_ , so Renji shrugged and stood behind Byakuya as they waited for a server to attend them. It was only a moment before they were seated at a table against the wall and offered menus. Renji shrugged out of the jacket and slung it over the back of the chair.

Two women in the nearby table took one look at Renji’s tattoos and started whispering earnestly to one another. 

Byakuya, meanwhile, was happily perusing the menu. “Oh, Renji,” Byakuya said, “They have gavthi here. I haven’t had gavthi in more than half a century!”

“Is there anything not spicy here?” Renji asked nervously.

“Of course,” Byakuya assured him. “Chicken korma or a pasanda would be good choices, I should think.”

Renji just shook his head. “Look if I get the waiter back over here, will you just order for us? And when did you ever get a taste for curry anyway?”

Byakuya set down the menu and folded his hands on top of it. “It’s critical that every Soul Reaper be at least somewhat familiar with the World of the Living as we’re sworn to protect it. Besides, I was stationed with the Thirteenth in my early career. It was expected that I participate the same as any other member of the division.”

Renji gave Byakuya a disbelieving look over the bridge of his nose. “You’re saying Captain Ukitake sent the Kuchiki clan head on regular missions to the Human World? Didn’t your grandfather have a conniption fit?”

“Of course he did,” Byakuya said, taking a moment to look around the restaurant. “There was, as always, a tremendous fight between us. Eventually Captain Ukitake came up with a clever solution. I was stationed remotely. I did my duty in, as they called it at the time, the Indian subcontinent in the then-capitol of the British Raj in Calcutta.”

Renji knew almost nothing about the history of the Human World, but that sounded marvelously exotic, “British? Did you even speak the language?”

“ _Languages_ ,” Byakuya corrected with a light laugh. “You’d be amazed the sheer volume of languages spoken in India. I learned only a fraction of them. But, in order to properly shepherd souls and protect the locals from Hollows, I had to be proficient in quite a number.”

“Damn,” was all Renji could think to say. Seeing the waiter, Renji beckoned him over with a wave. 

The waiter started over and then halted, his eyes riveted to Renji’s tattoos. He glanced around nervously, and then made his way cautiously over to the table. His receipt pad pressed up against his chest tightly like a shield. The waiter’s eyes nervously watched Renji, “We don’t want any trouble.” 

“And we only wish to be served,” Byakuya said smoothly. 

The waiter suddenly seemed to notice Byakuya. Renji watched as the waiter’s eyes bounced back and forth between tattoos and silk suit trying to decide which one was more dangerous. Just to be perverse, Renji pointed to Byakuya and mouthed, ‘My boss.’ At that, the waiter looked ready to faint, but managed a hard swallow and--now utterly riveted to Byakuya’s every move--asked, “Uh, what can I get you, sir?”

After Byakuya placed their order, the waiter scurried away. 

Byakuya pulled out Renji’s questionnaire from the inside pocket of his jacket and smiled, “Was that this one? I’ve chosen your food.”

“Heh,” Renji smiled. “Maybe. Though my fantasy involves a lot more hand feeding with me on my knees, and, uh… I don’t know, possibly some begging.”

“Oh, I see,” Byakuya said, staring at the questionnaire as though it were suddenly much more interesting. “I don’t suppose we can’t do that here.”

“Probably not,” Renji said, nodding at the waiter who was clearly talking about them to someone who was probably a manager. “Especially since I’m not sure how welcome we are.”

Byakuya followed Renji’s gaze, causing the two men to leap apart guilty and hurry back to their work. “They think we’re yakuza because of your tattoos.”

“Yeah,” Renji said, feeling suddenly very conspicuous. He rubbed his arms, “I wasn’t thinking we’d go out anywhere besides the shop and maybe the dance club or I would have dressed a little…uh, more.”

The waiter appeared and deposited tea at the table. 

Byakuya looked up at him. “What’s this? We didn’t order tea.”

“It’s on the house, sir. A… gift.” 

_A bribe_ , Renji thought, _to keep the peace_. 

With shaking hands, the waiter started to pick it up again, “But, if you prefer something else…?”

Renji stopped him. It was too late to explain the truth, so Renji just said, “This is acceptable, but what my captain wants most of all is privacy, you understand?”

The waiter paled at Renji’s intentional use of ‘captain.’ It wasn’t quite ‘oyabun,’ but it might as well have been and it seemed to confirm the kid’s worst fears. Byakuya raised an eyebrow, but nodded.

“Yes, we have no desire to cause you any concern,” Byakuya arranged the silverware very intentionally, giving it an air of menace. “We’re just simple men hoping for a quiet night out.”

Renji smiled softly at Byakuya, for having so easily slipped into the role of mafia boss. Renji was pretty sure that ‘fantasy play’ was an item Byakuya would have given a ‘5’ to on a questionnaire of his own. 

The waiter was shaking in his shoes, his eyes completely mesmerized by Byakuya’s slow and careful rearranging. “Oi,” Renji said. “You heard the captain. Scram.”

If a human were capable of flash-step, the waiter would have done it, he was gone so quickly.

“You’re terrible, Renji,” Byakuya said, pouring a cup of tea for each of them.

“Aw, you know you liked it. I watched you and Yachiru today. You like to play.”

“I do,” Byakuya said as though surprised to admit that about himself. He looked at the form that still sat over his empty plate, “Is that one of the things on here?”

“It is,” Renji said, reaching over to flip the pages and point it out. “You’ll see that I said I sort of like it, too, but as I wrote in my notes there, I didn’t give it very high marks because I think I’m kind of terrible at it.”

“You did a fine job just now,” Byakuya noted.

“Yeah, but mafia thug isn’t far from the truth, is it?” Renji said, sitting back. “I have a lot real-life experience with situations like this, so it’s not hard. I don’t think I could pretend to be school teacher or a nurse, though, you know?”

“Hmmm,” Byakuya said, “A nurse? That’s a strangely attractive thought.”

“You want me in that little frilly white outfit? And the hat?”

Taking a moment, Byakuya glanced through the questionnaire, until he found the spot, “Ah, I see you have little interest in cross-gender costuming, but would do it if it pleased me. But, no, that wasn’t what drew me to the scenario. I suppose I was imagining you comforting me while I was injured. After all, you did that very thing and it was… pleasant.”

‘Pleasant’? Byakuya’s blush betrayed his mild word choice. “Yeah, those were strangely good times, huh? I mean, better if you weren’t really hurt.”

Byakuya nodded, taking a sip of his tea. He seemed happily surprised by the taste of it. He set down the cup and gave Renji a very serious look, “That was a confession from me, now you must tell me one of your fantasies.”

Renji didn’t even hesitate, “You as my submissive.”

Byakuya took in a hissing breath, like he’d been sucker punched. Then, reaching across the table he put a hand on Renji’s and said very sadly, “Oh, Renji. I’m sorry. That’s the one thing I could never do.”

“Not even a little? Couldn’t we just pretend?” Renji asked, trying not to sound as disappointed as he felt. When Byakuya remained silent, Renji said, “Okay, I get it. It’s a ‘hard no.’ I’ve got to respect that. But, could you at least tell me why?”

They were interrupted by the arrival of food. Byakuya seemed to take the opportunity to collect his thoughts. After a long moment of moving his food around the plate, Byakuya said simply, “I have trouble with control.”

“What?” Renji blurted out, “You’re the most in-control person I’ve ever met! Like, kind of beyond the Pale, in-control.”

“That’s only because I must be,” Byakuya said. “You have no idea the destructive force I can be if I’m… unfettered. Or, as I discovered once, when I momentarily panicked when I was—um, _fettered_ , that is.”

For the second time that night, Renji’s brain stumbled to a full-stop. The only things that came out of Renji’s mouth were incoherent noises as he tried to imagine the scene. Finally, he was able to say, “Well, I guess a reiatsu blast is one hell of a safe word.”

Rather than finding the humor, Byakuya looked pained. “Not so safe for my partner. He was killed. Instantly.”

Renji’s mouth hung open as Byakuya’s word sunk in. “Killed?”

Byakuya’s eyes stayed downcast, though Renji could see a slight flutter of emotion as he quietly whispered, “Yes.”

“Wait, you can’t be serious,” Renji said, struggling to find the ability to speak. “Your reiatsu _alone_ killed someone? Is that even possible?”

Byakuya’s lips pressed very tightly, but, emotionlessly, he recited, “I was told by the healer who attended that the shockwave-vibrations pulverized his bones and liquefied his brain. It was only a second, Renji. A single moment without control.”

“No, it wasn't about control,” Renji said quickly, “You said it was a single moment of fear, a moment without trust. It could be different if you truly trusted someone--trusted _me_.”

Byakuya looked startled by this thought for a moment, but shook his head. “No, Renji. Weren’t you listening? What happened was unconscious, unthinking, a gut reaction to the situation, a split second of a sense of helplessness. I couldn’t ever risk that again. Not with anyone, but especially not with you.”

Renji set down his fork. “How old were you? Was the guy even a shinigami? You must have so much more control now, and I’m captain-level, I can withstand--”

Byakuya cut him off sharply. “I will not argue such senseless details with you. The matter is closed.”

There it was: a hard no.

With effort Renji let it go. He picked up his fork and tried some of the lamb. It was mild enough, but flavorful, too. After a long silence, Renji tried again, “Okay, so I can’t tie you up. Any chance of seeing you on your knees?”

To Renji’s utter shock, there was a brief flash of a smile and, “Perhaps.”


End file.
